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Welcome to 1100 Pennsylvania, a newsletter devoted to President Donald Trump’s Trump Hotel International Washington, D.C. (and his other companies). President Trump, of course, still owns his businesses and can profit from them.

If you like what you see, tell someone. If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter, subscribe for yourself at zacheverson.substack.com.Tips or feedback? Contact me, Zach Everson, securely via email at 1100Pennsylvania@protonmail.com or on Signal at 202.804.2744.

Turning Point USA honors Limbaugh at $2,500-a-person Mar-a-Lago gala

While the government shutdown kept President Trump from celebrating Christmas at his private Florida club (although it was no deterrent for White House advisors Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump), conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA was at Mar-a-Lago Dec. 20 for its first annual [sic] winter gala.

Speakers included Donald Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, TPUSA’s Charlie Kirk and Candace Owen, and Rush Limbaugh, who was honored with a lifetime achievement award. Tickets started at $2,500.

Trump Hotel D.C. client amasses ‘unrivalled position of power with the federal government’

But the behind-the-scenes lobbying by Amazon officials underscores how the company has quietly amassed an unrivalled position of power with the federal government.

From “How Trump’s D.C. hotel works to help swamp the drain” by me for Fast Company, published this May:

A month and a half ago, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon’s cloud computing division, which claims to serve more than 2,000 government agencies, was a silver sponsor of a major conference of government contractors held at the [Trump Hotel D.C.].

Amazon did not reply to my to requests to discuss its motives for cohosting an event at the president’s hotel.

Government shutdown means no tower access

The federal government shutdown means the Old Post Office tower, which sits atop the hotel, is closed.

Patrick Realiza is a vice chair at the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area Chapter, which works to “strengthen U.N.-U.S. relations, and aid the U.N. in achieving its goals.” He had a first-class Christmas at the U.S. president’s hotel and tagged the Trump hotel accounts to make sure they knew.

Former lobbyist for Home Depot, Kent Knutson; president and managing principal of U.S. government contractor EDC Consulting, Peter Markakos; and lobbyist for Tyson’s Food, Karen Knutson, celebrated Christmas Eve at the U.S. president’s hotel.

Legal cases, current status (latest change, Dec. 24, 2018)

Official capacity—On Dec. 20, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled it would hear the president’s appeal of district court rulings that allowed the case to proceed to discovery. Oral augments on the appeal will take place March 19–21. In the meantime, the court halted discovery in the case. Discovery had started Dec. 3 and was scheduled to run through Aug. 2, 2019, with the AGs already having issued 38 subpoenas, including to the Trump Organization; the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, and Treasury and the GSA; and the state of Maine.

Individual capacity—On Dec. 14, Trump’s personal attorneys appealed the denial of their motion to dismiss the case, also to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. On Dec. 19, the AGs replied to Trump’s motion for a stay pending that appeal by voluntarily dismissing the claims against Trump in his “individual capacity to allow the claims against President Trump in his official capacity to move forward expeditiously.” (The AGs only brought suit against Trump in his individual capacity after the judge suggested they do so.) Trump’s personal attorneys, on Dec. 21, opposed the motion to dismiss at the district level, saying the appeals court now has jurisdiction and accusing the AGs of “gamesmanship.”

Other Trump Organization news

“In the fall of 1968, Donald J. Trump received a timely diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels that led to his medical exemption from the military during Vietnam…Now a possible explanation has emerged about the documentation.It involves a foot doctor in Queens who rented his office from Mr. Trump’s father, Fred C. Trump, and a suggestion that the diagnosis was granted as a courtesy to the elder Mr. Trump.” By Steve Eder for The New York Times.

One thing that has nothing to do with Trump’s businesses (I think, tough to tell sometimes!)

Along with cleaning out their offices, several ousted or retiring Senators and Representatives have shuttered their official Twitter accounts (via the Changes of Congress Twitter bot).

Thanks for reading. If you like what you saw, tell someone. If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter, subscribe for yourself at zacheverson.substack.com.Tips or feedback? Contact me, Zach Everson, securely via email at 1100Pennsylvania@protonmail.com or on Signal at 202.804.2744.